Yay, I quit smoking! This time for good. I read this book called Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking and it helped a lot.

I got this book I think a year and a half ago. I started reading it and then ended up putting it down and forgetting about it, only ending up on page 30.

Recently, however, I decided to give the book another try after going through many other ways to kicking the addiction throughout my transition.

I know that many trans-folk smoke, and sometimes it can be really hard, especially with the stress that comes with transitioning. I tried a lot. Even when going for SRS I tried and cut down to almost nothing, then one smoke here, and one smoke there after, and once I got home *poof* back to full-time smoking.

It produces a lot of shame, especially when you have other trans ppl who might belittle you for smoking and go up and down about how awful it is and, in turn, how awful you are for smoking. It only drives you more into smoking and more away from other trans ppl. I stopped going to a local trans-group over how belittled I was for being a "smoker." It's not fair. Not that smoking is good, but not fair that someone seeking help and support gets the rug pulled under her (or him) -- support is something the trans-smoker needs most of all.

Smoking and transitioning can be very difficult together; smoking is increasingly becoming the anti-social thing to do, and more places are banning smoking indoors or in other public places. And now, a lot more people are seemingly gathering against smokers, often making remarks, giving dirty looks, and treating them like out-casts. A smoker, however, is human and simply has an addiction, he or she doesn't deserve to be treated like garbage.

With transitioning, you already feel like you're a 3rd or even 4th class citizen. Add smoking to that and you feel even further down. Add other trans-folk mimicking the rejection of smokers, and you feel like your supports are taken right out from under you. You then turn to what you know, and light another cigarette.

I think it becomes a hard and difficult cycle. It can be very difficult to deal with sometimes. I just wanted to say that yes, you can quit. I found the book to be pretty helpful and it seemed to really click. It takes stop-smoking to a different level and you begin to look at it differently. It doesn't use scare tactics (and face it, we know that doesn't work -- if scaring and belittling a smoker worked, no one would smoke). You can even smoke through the entire book. I smoked from page one to page 150. Every time I went for a smoke, I read the book. By the end of the book, I no longer wanted to smoke. You just need to stick it through to the end of the book and give it a chance -- you have nothing to lose.

Being trans, we know that smoking isn't good for us. We know how left-out we can feel and how it can add to the anxiety and the feeling of being anti-social. We don't need someone to preach to us about that. We already know. What we need is support and encouragement -- not preaching, belittling, or the shame.


--Natalie

Quote from: gothique11 on October 11, 2009, 01:05:49 AM
And now, a lot more people are seemingly gathering against smokers, often making remarks, giving dirty looks, and treating them like out-casts.

I've noticed this, too, earlier in the decade. Interestingly enough, it seemed to come most from people several years younger than myself, so that would make them in their early- to mid-twenties now. And that amuses me because in my personal experiences, I've seen that age group, usually the "raver" or "alternative" folks, abuse any number of other substances while still condemning smoking tobacco.

Once when I was about 21 or so, I had children in their early teens antagonize me when I was smoking outside of a movie theater, already at a decent distance from the main entrance. They'd start making remarks and fake coughing and when I'd move away from them, they'd move closer to me to and continue. . .The world's gone mad, it really has. 

I'm going on almost 13 months smoke-free myself. I quit cold turkey in part to prove to someone who didn't believe me I could. (I'd told people for years my "addiction" was merely psychological; I never had nicotine fits.) I'd only been smoking for about 10 years, though, and was only about 3-4 packs a week then. . .I'm sure it's a lot harder for anyone at it longer or more frequently.

Congratulations, Natalie. Your bank account's probably already drooling over all the nummy new money it will be seeing. 

EDIT: Reading through a summary of his philosophy for quitting smoking as presented on Wikipedia, I feel kind of sad he's no longer alive. I'm impressed by the simplicity and power of his reasoning.

Smoking is "highly unrecommended" for anyone on HRT, plus it's expensive, dirty, etc.

I've been making my living on the streets for over a year now, no not what it sounds like, I found that no one wanted caricature drawings AT ALL and for 4 months ended up a panhandler, survived winter by moving in with a GF and no income at all, then slowly developed the crafts that I make and sell now. I've had a lot of contact with street culture, and I associate smoking with street culture. Many a time, panhandling, I had people think I was asking for a cigarette! Many times also I had people offer me one, they'd always get puzzled when I'd turn that offer down - apparently a street person NEVER turns down a cig, since if they don't smoke, they can always trade it to another street person for something. These days I get people asking me for a light, to the extent that I'm considering getting some kind of cool lighter like a Zippo just to do this favor, fairly often it's a cute girl asking.

I've smoked a Sherman and a Swisher Sweet, on the street with various people, in the past year. The Swisher Sweet was kinda cool, the Sherman a bit rougher. Now that I"m on T I can't even thinking about smoking the occasional cigar, it's contraindicated.

Smoking used to be cool in the old movies but now to me it just screams 'street culture'. Another interesting fact: Just about everyone who's been in jail or prison smokes. There's not much to do, and not many treats, so people take up smoking.

Quote from: Alex_C on October 11, 2009, 03:07:09 AM
Smoking used to be cool in the old movies but now to me it just screams 'street culture'.

I know it's not what you meant by "old movie," but in the film Overboard, there's a scene after Goldie Hawn's character regains her memories as a wealthy sophisticate where she offered a smoke by her peers. Still (charmingly) influenced by the time she spent with Kurt Russel's character's "blue" family, she turns down the cigarette and instead asks for a beer. Remembering the shocked reaction of her group makes me think of how completely backwards the whole thing would go amongst college kids now.

"Hey, want a beer?"

"No, no. . .I think I'd rather have a cigarette."

"GASP!"

I've only smoked a couple of packs in my life. The problem is that I like smoking, I like the idea of smoking. Smoking is like anal sex. I've dreamed about it since childhood, think about it when I see other people doing it, and when I actually DO do it, I end up regretting it the next day and having a bad taste in my mouth.


I had one cigarette in the last year. Under the usual circumstances. Very drunk, at the same bar I used to go to and drink and smoke with two particular friends. I knew I was going to have one eventually, especially since half the table was smoking. I don't inhale, and I won't go into the details of why I *love* cigarettes for fear of enveloping someone in the romance, but there's a lot to them. I've been told I should try cigars with the interest I have. Of course, with estrogen, I shouldn't smoke.

And the bad taste, the teeth stains, the smell under your fingernails, and up your nose, in your breath, the boogers tasting like chemicals for days...

It's impossible to resist when a guy's slinging cloves around, though. Those, everyone should make an exception for.

I think cigars are cool. But I dunno, with the T, do I need to stay away 100%? Can I smoke 1-2 a month? 1x-2x a month, a good ($10-$20) one may be kinda cool to indulge in. But then, I've avoided tobacco products all my life because they're so addictive and expensive too.

I agree with gothique11 about the amount of static smokers are getting from the general public. That's one of the main reason why I hate the idea of quitting smoking. I'd rather be that person that gets hauled off to jail for decking some idiot that thinks they have the cojones to start a verbal argument with some stranger in a public place.

I've always been one to think 'if I want to know your opinion on something I'll ask'.

Also, the 'it's a dirty habit' comment that I hear a lot of people say... It's only dirty, if you don't clean.

Don't throw your butts in the ground. Wash the walls in the house every now and then, clean the blinds and the 'staining teeth'... I smoke(d) a pack a day and drink nearly 10 cups of coffee a day. Granted, I don't have teeth soooo white that I can bring down a plane on accident if I smiled at it, but I don't have teeth that look like they were made out of wood.


I'm still having an issue with fully quitting smoking. I 'quit' smoking for a total of 3 months or so this year and went back to a light amount of smoking. I'm giving it another shot here real soon at quitting smoking though.

It's a pain in the O.O to quit when 'all the good reasons' to quit smoking, piss you off to the point of wanting a sig.

/end grump

i started the book she is talking about and put it down it really is a good book for those quiting smoking i think ill try it again i have smoked forever and i am trying to quit now i think the health costs and finacial burden is reason enough to quit however you cant discount the cary grant sexyness of a cigar in the right place at the right time however for a smoker its like liqure for the drunk one cant have just one
jesse

I have smoked for about 6/7 years now about 20 possibly more somedays. It doesn't really effect me I enjoy smoking. I only find it annoying when I CANT smoke. I have been told hundreds of times to stop smoking but why give up when I actually enjoy it?

I agree it is becoming such an anti-social thing now. 

I will need to stop before my bottom surgery. They didn't require me to stop before my top surgery and I have one in the morning as I was so anxious, and a couple in the evening. I was never told to stop. Just cut down a bit.

Jay

Funny you should post this today, as I finished my last cigarette this morning and told my spouse that I'm quitting. We'll see how it goes as I'm just a little bit under stress Laid off almost 7 month, wife got hours cut to part time, and son lost his job and moved in with the grandchildren !! and no money for cigarettes or therapy  !
Like I sad just a little stress ! But I'm determined to do it ! 

Jamie L.

Hmmmm.....I smoked for 25 yrs, and quit cold turkey 17 yrs or so ago.  Best health choice I ever made.



Bev

I'm trying, I smoked all this weekend... but tomorrow its back to trying to quit again and beginning of a new diet and exercise. Lets see how long it lasts. 

Heather